14 February 1991
MON-DRGIT
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
London SW1 2AH
D WA Blye Esq
21 Mountbatten Way
Brabourne Lees
Ashford
Kent
TN25 6PZ
нків 233/2
д
91
Dear Mr Blye,
Thank you for your letter of 2 February.
I am sorry if you have gained the impression that your points about comparisons between Hong Kong Government pensioners and their UK counterparts were being ignored. This is not so. I can assure you that we have taken on board all the points in your letter of 9 December 1990.
I can understand that you would have preferred to receive a more substantive reply to the detailed arguments set out in your letter.
But as I explained in my letter of 29 January, sent with the authority of Lord Caithness, these matters are currently the subject of discussions between the two Governments. Pending the outcome of these discussions, there is nothing which can be usefully added to what we have already said on these matters. No decisions have been taken.
You ask for confirmation that "no weight will in future be given to misleading comparisons" (between Hong Kong and UK pensioners). We do not accept that comparisons between the two groups are irrelevant or that no weight should be given to them. But it is clearly important to ensure that correct comparisons are made, so that the appropriate degree of weight can be given to them.
As you will appreciate, any solution to the problems which concern you would entail the disbursement of additional public funds. If the British Government were to assume this responsibility, the arrangements would therefore need to be seen to be reasonable and defensible to Parliament and to the country at large.
SIPANS/CC
5
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.